Smoke-abating furnace



(N Mod 1.\,

o e F. PERCIVAL &,F. H. LUDINGTON.

SMOKE ABATING FURNAGE No. 532,578.- Patented Jan.l15, 1895.

Y, EEEDEEmK PERoIvAL AND` FRANCIS H. LUDINGTON, OF ST. MISSOURI.

PATENT OEEICE.

LOUIS,

sMo KE-ABArlNe FU RNACE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of vLett-.ers Patent No. 532,578, dated January 15, 1895. Applicata nea october 25,1893. serial No. 489.101. (No model.)

To all 1.071.017.` t may concern,.-

Beit known that 'WeFEEDEEIoK'PEEcIvAn provement in Smoke-Abating Furnaces, of-

which the following'is a full, cleanand exact description. Y.

The invention under consideration is an improved Vmeans whereby familiar principles involved in the prevention or abatement or, as it is apt to be styled, the consumption, of smoke in orv from. a furnace `arei advantageously applied. The construction involved in carrying out the improvement is easily set up and at a comparatively small cost. But little or no repairs are required. No power is needed for operating it, vnor is any special skill. It can be used in almost any style of furnace and with almost any kind of furnacebars, doors, or boiler-front. The fuel is economiz'ed, and a very thorough combustion is ob-- tained. The means referred to are largely elements or features' some l of which have been ypreviously employed. Others of them it is thought are now for the first time exhibited, and they are useful not' only in the special construction here shown but also in other constructions more or less analogous, and the entire combination of parts ,as shown is especially'valuable in that by means thereof theavoidance or abatement of smokefrom a fur- .the fuel which passes the bridge-.wall ofthe furnace, substantially as is fhereinafterset forth and claime'd,aided.by.the annexed drawings, making part of this specification, in-

v whichl Fig. 2, a vertical crosssection on the line 2--2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3, a vertical cross section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1; and Fig. 4 is a verti-4 cal cross section on the line Lt--e of Fig. 1.

The last Vnamed view is upon an enlarged scale,- and the three last named views are .lookingafh .A

The same letters of reference denote the same parts.

Theire-place, A, of the furnace is of ordinary construction.' Its grate-bars are shown at a., and at a. is the doorway to the fire-place. Brepresents the ash-pit whose doorway is at O represents the boiler; D, the boiler-setting'; E, the bridge-wall, and F the liuc through which the products of combustion ultimately escape. All these enumerated parts are such as are usually employed saving as they may be modified or supplemented by the improvet ment under consideration.`

G represents a' passage extending through the bridge-wall. Its preferred position Land shape 'are indicated 'inthe drawings. Its oflice is to 'supply air to the flue-space, H, just aftof the bridge wall. Y Wepreferably intro- `duce the air to the passage in question through the 'ash-pit,and to that end; the passage at its forward end connects with the ash-pit; but wherever the air is admitted its inflow is controlled by some suitable means such, for instance as the valve I. The valve in the present case is attached to a crank-shaft t' which is adapted to be operated by means of the.

handle i', and the operation is indicated by thev different positions of vthe valve shown respectively in the full and in the broken lines in Fig. 1. The inlet tothe passageis preferably as close to the under side of the grate- `bars as is practicable, and in order thereby to cause the air enteringthe passage to previously pass close or near to the grate bars and thereby become warmed. I I, in width is preferably considerably less than that of the ash-pit and tire-place, and it is arranged centrally in the bridge-wall, substantially as shown. 4Ve consider it desirable to divide the air current owing through the passage into many small currents orjets and to this end a perforated plate, J, is arranged crosswise in the passage substantially as shown.

To carry out the improvement more fully the gases and unconsumed portion of the fuel The passage, v

which pass the crest, e, ot the bridge wall are not allowed to escape directlyalong the under side of the boiler but are compelled to meet the air flowing from the passage G. Accordingly they are turned downward after passing the -bridge-wall, and are directed across the path that the air takes coming from the bridge-wall passage and the two currents are thereby intermingled. The due-space H through which the gases, dac., are thus directed is, in the present instance, included between the bridge-wall and a cross wall K. This last named wall at its sides and top meets the boiler-setting and boiler to prevent any direct escape from the re-place, but at a point opposite or below the level of the bridge wall passage there is an opening, 7s, in the wall, or the wall is so made, to provide opportunity for the escape from the fine-space H into the iiue F.

To more eiectually iutermingle the fireplace and the bridge-wall currents the opening 7c is arranged centrally in the width of the wall K and is narrowed to a width much less than the width of the line-space H. 4The preferable relative arrangement of the bridge wall and the wall K is shown. In the event the furnace is employed in connection with some other object than the boiler here shown the currents from the fire place are directed downward after passing the bridge wall by means of any part or parts that are the equivalents of the boiler and wall K..

In operation the fuel is consumed in the lire-place in the ordinary manner. The products of combustion pass over the bridge wall in a highly heated condition and are thence directed downward through the flue space H. At this point they meet the air delivered through the bridge wall passage and the unconsumed portion of the fuel that escapes from the tire place is in consequence very thoroughly if not entirely consumed before it reaches the opening 7c in the wall K. The combustion is facilitated by reason of the air being heated in passing through the bridgewall, and in this respect an advantage is derived from the air being heated by passing through the ash-pit in the vicinity of the grate-bars. The division of the air current into jets as described further promotes the desired action. The quantity of air introduced through the bridge wall can be carefully graduated by means of the described valve, the valve being opened wider when more air is desired. The operator with a little experience can accurately determine the quantity ot air needed. It will be noticed that the valve-pivot is arrangedat the bottom of the bridge wall passage. Weconsider this desirable in that thereby the inlowing air is always directed upward into the vicinity of the grate-bars and the upper portion of the bridge-wall which with the grate-bars is more highly heated than the lower portions of the construction. XVe also consider it desirable for the outlet from the Iiue space II to be choked substantially as described as thereby the fire place current and the air current are more surely intermixed. By using all of the described features in combination the best results are attained. The flue space H may be considered an auxiliary combustion chamber.

IVe claiml. In a boiler furnace, the combination of the tire-place, A, provided with a grate, the ash-pit B, below the grate; the bridge wall E, back of the fire-place and ash-pit, the flue space I-I, back of the bridge-wall, the central air passage in the bridge wall, opening at one end at a point" below the grate into the ashpit and at the other end at a point not higher than about the level of the grate into the flue space H, the plate I, having small perforations through it and arranged crosswise in the passage J near its inner end and delivering jets ot' air into the flue space II; the cross wall K, the central opening k opposite the air-passage I, narrower than the width of the tine space H, and having its top at about the level of the top of 'the passage I, and a passage from the rear of the wall K for the es cape of the products of combustion, substantially as described.

2. In a boiler furnace, the combination of the lire-place A, provided with a grate, the ash-pit B, below the grate, the bridge-wall E, back of the re place and ash-pit; the ilue space H, back of the bridge wall; the central air passage in the bridge wall, opening at one end at a point below the grate into the ashpit and at the other end at a point not higher than about the level of the grate into the flue space H, the plate I, having ysmall perforations through it and arranged crosswise in the passage J near its inner end but back of the rear face of the bridge-wall and delivering jets of air into the Iiue space H, the cross wall K, the central opening 7c opposite the air passage Lnarrower than the width of the flue space H, and having its top at about the level of the top of the passage I, and a passage from the rear of the wall K, for the escape of the products of combustion, substantially as described.

3. In a boiler-furnace the combination of the lire-place A, provided with a grate, the ash-pit B, below the grate, the bridge wall E, back of the fire place, the ash-pit; the flue space H, back of the bridge-wall; the central air passage I, in the bridge-wall, opening at one end into the ash-pit, at a point near the grate, and at the other end, at a point not above about the level of the grate, into the tine space H; the valve attached to the crank shaft t' and the handle i', and arranged at the ash pit end of the passage I, the perforated plate J arranged crosswise in the passage I, near its inner end, and delivering jets of air into the tlue space H, the crosswall K; the

IOO

IIO

lopening c in the cross-wall, opposite the air Witness our hands this 23d day of Oetofv passage I, narrower than the width of the ue ber, 1893.

space H, and having its top at about the FREDERICK PERCIVAL.

level of the top of said passage I, and a pas- FRANCIS H. LUDINGTON. 5 sage from the rear of the wall K, for the es- Witnesses:

cape of Jhe products of combustion, substan- C. D. MOODY,

tialiy as described. A. BONVILLE. 

